The Mountain Goats announce new album ‘Beat The Champ’

The Mountain Goats have announced plans to release a new album, ‘Beat The Champ’, this April.

Following on from their 2012 offering ‘Transcendental Youth’, the trio will release their new twelve-track full-length on 13th April through Merge. There is, of course, a twist to their latest offering: it’s all about professional wrestling.

Commenting in a press release, John Darnielle has said: “I wrote these songs to re-immerse myself in the blood and fire of the visions that spoke to me as a child, and to see what more there might be in them now that I’m grown.”

Tying the concept of the album together, the record’s artwork was designed by Leela Corman, and, unsurprisingly, features an animated wrestling scene. There’ll also be a special deluxe version of the album available, which comes pressed on gold and green vinyl. It’ll include a bonus red vinyl 12” that features unreleased track ‘Blood Capsules’, along with a dub version of it for good measure.

The Mountain Goats have also announced plans for a hefty US headline run, the dates of which are as follows.

APRIL
02 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
03 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
04 Savannah, GA - The Jinx
07 Chapel Hill, NC - The Cat’s Cradle
08 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09 New York, NY - Webster Hall
11 - 12 New York, NY - City Winery
13 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
14 Boston, MA - House of Blues
16 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart’s
17 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
18 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
19 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Theatre
21 Louisville, KY - Headliners
22 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center
23 Chicago, IL - Mr. Small’s Theatre

MAY
08 - 10 Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival
26 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
27 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
29 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
30 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

JUNE
01 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
06-03 Los Angeles, CA - Mayan Theater

The band’s new album follows on from Darnielle’s bestselling novel Wolf in White Van, which was released last year.